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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. dip — to sink
  4. season — in sport
  5. bank — for money
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. date — the fruit
  8. hand — help
  9. prune — to trim
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. hand — in cards
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. chair — a leader

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com